"Halibel." Ulquiorra greeted. "Your construction seems to be running smoothly. You have made much progress on the southern wall. Upon entering Los Noches I took not that the dome is still broken. Were you aware?"
"No one had told me." She answered. "I will send more repair teams there." She looked back at the trio behind her, nodding at them, obvoisly meaning for them to do as she willed. They were off, just like that, heading to find a repair team to send to the area.
Halibel looked back at Ulquiorra and Orihime. "Are you looking for Grimmjow?"
Ulquiorra dipped his head, a single nod to answer the question.
"I had him taken to the infirmary. It's still under construction, but I couldn't have him dragging his corpse through here. His barking upset the construction, and his vocabulary went to work at offending anyone with ears. I couldn't have him hanging around here anymore. You understand, I'm sure."
Ulquiorra nodded again, and then turned to Orihime. "Woman."
Orihime started, nodding quickly, giving a small bow to Halibel before she ran to catch up with Ulquiorra. She managed not to bump into him when he stopped to hold the door for her.
With a small blush she hurriedly stammered "Thank you." She ran through the door, insisting to herself that he was only holding open the door because he knew the huge thing would be too heavy for her to open on her own. He wasn't really too much of a manners user.
They were quick to get down the halls, rushing through areas of construction and silent halls down to another are of the palace. They entered more black halls, Ulquiorra uncannily navigating, never pausing to second-guess his direction.
It was soon that they came to a door, smaller than the last one they had gone through. He opened it for her, presenting a white room, the windows not barred to her surprise.
"Get that the fuck away from me, bitch! Who asked for your help, damnit?!"
Ulquiorra's face betrayed his irritation upon hearing the loud volatile voice hollering off to the back of the room.
Orihime came in right as a pissed-off arrancar woman came storming past her, scowling and huffing. She threw a blood-covered rag on the ground, a needle and a thread of blue that looked similar to the food Orihime had earlier consumed. She stopped in the doorway, pivoting on her heal, to scream back into the room. "See if I ever let you back here, bitch!" With that she spun back around, disappearing out of the doorway.
"Did you just call me a bitch!?" The same brash voice from the back barked. "Get back in here so I can tear your throat out, bitch!"
Yeah. No doubt about it. That was Grimmjow.
A curtain was torn aside to the side of the window, a squar section of the room earlier hidden opening up to their eyes. Grimmjow was struggling to stand, back in his first form, scowling and trying to fight back a grimace as blood pooled around his feet, dripping from his torn-apart chest. First thing he saw Ulquiorra he growled. "Tell that bitch to get her ass back in here so I can tear her to shreds!"
Ulquiorra blinked slowly, seemingly trying to decided whether or not to just finish Grimmjow off for good or leave him be. He evidentally decided on the latter, as he turned his back to the man.
"The woman is here to see you." He intoned, looking at the doorway. "Cease your idiotic yelping and address her."
"Huh?" The blue haired man turned his sights to the left, spotting Orihime. Slowly his face spread into a feral grin, splitting his face. "Well what do you know? Bat shit wasn't shitting me!" He laughed, scratching the back of his neck as he sat down on the gurney behind him.
Ever the nice one, Orihime tentatively smiled. "Uh… hi."
"I've been waiting for you to come back here! You know how fucking long of been rotting in the damned dump? I can't even fucking fight! It's good you came back, princesa. Cuz' the stupid so called nurses don't know what the hell they're doing."
She nervously laughed, not really sure what to make of it all.
"Now get over here and patch me up so I can go kill that bitch that just ran out a' here. No one talks to Grimmjow fuckin' Jaggerjack like that." He smirked darkly, assumedly contemplating the death of the woman who had stormed out of the room but a moment ago.
"Uh, I, um, guess I could heal you." She bit her lips, her hand going up to feel the side of her head where the bone was. "Or, I could try…"
"Eh?" He squinted, looking at the place her hairpins had used to reside. Dawning realization hit him slowly, his eyes going wide, as his tone dropped a little. "Oh. Ya' dead, princess?"
"Uh, well, I-"
"Who killed ya? I though bat shit here was 'posed to protect ya. I didn't think he'd let ya off an die while he was around. Guess he died too, though, huh?" He rubbed his head in between his hands. "Ah, don't wanna think about all this shit. It's making my head hurt."
"Oh. Well, um, to answer your questions," She began timidly, linking her hands behind her back. "I'm not dead. I'm just… um, well, an arrancar and alive, I guess? I'm not really sure, ether."
He waved away her speech with a hand. "I don't really care. I just want to know if your powers still work."
"I… I don't know?"
He glared. "Well then why don't you find out!?"
"Do not speak to her in that manner or I will have to rip your throat out." Ulquiorra suddenly threatened, still facing away from Gimmjow.
"Well, well." Grimmjow chuckled. "What's this? Emotion? Ulqui-fucking-orra Cifer has emotions?" He burst out laughed, throwing his head back, blood still dripping generously from his wound. "Wadda ya know!"
Ulquiorra didn't respond.
"That shit's priceless." The sexta espada laughed, calming down. When he had finished laughing he just snorted. He looked back at Orihime, grinning. "Now do your little thing. Dum Dum Rita, or whatever."
"Oh." She blinked rappily, jumping again, still a little jumpy around the violent espada. She held her hands out, taking a step forward, and swallowed. "Souten Kisshun, I reject."
Orihime watched in fascination as two of her farriers, Ayame and Shun'ou, came forth, two branches of her flower-like mask breaking off as they sprung to life.
To Orihime's surprise, they had changed. Shun'ou's wings, one green, where pure white- bones if she was correct. The little fairy had a hole in his chest, just over where Orihime had a scarred circle of flesh. Ayame's little red shell was now bone as well, though the yellow of the shell around her remained. She, too, had a hole through the center of her being.
"Orihime!" Shun'ou cheered, flying up in front of her wielder. "It's so good to see you alive."
"You… you've both changed."
Ayame timidly nodded, her hands twisting in her sleaves.
"Yep!" Shun'ou agreed, flying in a quick loop, a streak of gold trailing behind until he came to a stop. "And we all feel so much more powerful now! I bet we can heal in twice the time it once took!"
"Oh." Orihime looked up at Grimmjow, who was watching her in interest, and then to Ulquiorra, who was watching her from the corner of his eye as he pretended not to be interested in what was happening. "Well," She said, turning her gaze back to Grimmjow, "Let's give it a try!"
"You got it!" Shun'ou shot off, Ayame trailing behind him. Both came to a stop before Grimmjow, they're golden shield instantly going up.
Usually, it would take at least a half an hour to heal the wounds Grimmjow had received. They weren't fresh, to boot, the skin already trying to heal, wrong. That should have added another ten minutes on.
This, however, was not the case.
Ulquiorra, Orihime, and Grimmjow all watched as his skin healed up at a speed they hadn't imagined. In no longer than five minutes he didn't have a single scratch. The scar he wanted to keep was still there, but as he stood, the golden shield disappearing as the powers returned, it was evident that he was completely healed.
He stretched, twisting in experiment. He stopped, face blank. Slowly, his trade-mark smirk rose to his face, his mask moving up with his face as he laughed heartily. "Fuck yes!" He yelled, punching the air in front of him. He looked up, eyes narrowing in on the doorway. "See ya later, bitches!" He crowed. With that he shot out of the room, cackling the whole time.
"I am going to murder him." Ulquiorra said as soon as he was gone. "His nonsense is potent enough to taste on the air."
Orihime laughed, her hand patting her masks, silently telling her powers they had done a great job. "You know…" She started, staring out the open doorway. "I think that I could get used to living here. For the time, at least." She looked back at Ulquiorra, and if she didn't know any better…
"You are not concerned about the lack of color?" He asked, the white and black being something she had complained about much during her imprisonment.
She shook her head, looking at his eyes. "I think there's enough to keep me happy." She admitted with a small smile, fighting off another blush.
"I see…" His eyes moved over to her hair, all on their own, and settled there.
"Come on." She said, laughing again as she started toward the door. "I don't think Halibel would like it if Grimmjow kills all of the nurses."
"Yes." He agreed, walking up behind her. "If they do not annihilate him first."
Orihime froze. "Was that…" She turned to Ulquiorra, eyes wide and surprised. "Was that a joke?"
He stopped, considering this. Finally, after a great pause, he shook his head. "Foolishness."
Orihime smiled, stepping after him. "It was. It was a joke!" She giggled.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You are delusional."
"I heard it! You told a joke!"
"Ridiculous."
And so they went on, Orihime insisting it was humor she had just heard from him, Ulquiorra denying it every time.
Orihime had a strong feeling that she wasn't going to have as hard a time in Los Noches than she had originally thought.
.
Okay. it's a little late, and a little short, but... I updated. Ha ha ha. And Grimmjow is back, I'm sure everyone is just tickled pink to know. Thank you to all who have reviewed, as always. You guys are the coolest! And thank you to everyone for reading, favoring, and following, too. I hope this continues to please. Anyway... reviews? Please? *puts up big sparkly pleading eyes, and give you a kitten* Pretty please?